Lakshmi Manchu defends Bhumi Pednekar amid The Royals backlash: ‘I've seen enough of Bhumi doing meaningful roles'

In an interview with HT, Lakshmi Manchu comes forward to support Bhumi Pednekar and Ishaan Khatter amid the criticism for their web series, The Royals.

Ishaan Khatter and Bhumi Pednekar's show The Royals is facing a wave of criticism on social media. And actor Lakshmi Manchu is puzzled by the intense backlash to the Netflix show, admitting that she doesn’t always want to see Bhumi in meaningful performances.

Lakshmi Manchu admits she loved the show The Royals.

Lakshmi Manchu defends The Royals

In a candid chat with Hindustan Times, Lakshmi came forward to defend Bhumi and Ishaan amid the criticism for their web show, The Royals.

“Everyone who is trashing The Royals, saying it is not a Netflix kind of show and other things... I want to say one thing to them. Ishaan looked really hot, and Bhumi was wearing fabulous clothes. It was a mind-numbing show, and that's all I needed,” Lakshmi tells us.

She continues, "I didn't care for a deep, meaningful performance. I've seen enough of Bhumi doing that in the past. I know she can deliver, and that she is a brilliant actor. But here she is having fun, wearing beautiful clothes and giving us a royal treatment of India”.

The Royals garnered a lukewarm response from audiences, with viewers taking to social media to voice their disappointment. The viewers are pointing to the lack of chemistry between the lead actors, and a weak, superficial screenplay as key factors that fail to impress, leaving the show feeling unfulfilling.

Defending The Royals, Lakshmi referenced the abundance of dark and intense content in the OTT space, using Paatal Lok as an example.

“Aren't you all tired of looking at how slummy we are? However beautiful a Paatal Lok is. I am a die-hard fan of Paatal Lok, but it isn’t opulent and comes with joy.... So, isn't it nice to see some opulence and joy and just some nonsense? Why not?” Lakshmi ends.

On producing stories

Currently, Lakshmi is on the lookout for compelling stories to produce, with comedy topping her wishlist.

“There is so much that's going on in the world that we need to bring joy... Right now, I am like, what’s the funniest movie that I can find, because I want to laugh and I want to make people laugh. The whole shift of genre right now should move to comedies... Because there is a lot of heaviness with what we all have been through,” she ends.